The Rest Is Science You (Don't) Know Where You Are
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Feb 24, 2026 A playful tour of how the brain and body figure out where you are in space. They cover inner ear illusions that trick pilots, proprioception and lost-body sensation, and the brain’s place and grid cells acting like an internal GPS. Hear why London taxi training rewires maps, how language reshapes spatial thought, and what makes people point to their chest when asked to find themselves.
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Man Who Lost Proprioception Felt Like A Floating Head
- Ian Waterman lost proprioception below the neck and described feeling like a head floating on a pillow.
- He had to relearn movement by visually watching his limbs because touch and position sense were gone.
Place Cells Act Like Internal Location Pins
- Place cells in the hippocampus fire for specific locations like a red pin on a map.
- John O'Keefe recorded single neurons that popped only when a rat returned to the same spot, even after rotating walls or turning off lights.
Playing 3D Games Enlarged Michael's Hippocampus
- Michael played 3D navigation games and his hippocampus grew slightly, improving real-world maze navigation.
- The brain treats virtual and real spaces similarly so practice in VR transfers to physical navigation.